Fodor's may use your email address to send you relevant information on site updates, account changes, and offers. For more information about your privacy and protection, please review our full Privacy Policy.

DB Bahn Train reservation

Hello,
I have to book a ticket from Munich to Paris from DB Bahn site. Now it is asking for credit card but its details can be furnished even by my VISA Debit card. Unfortunately, I don't have a credit card. Now if I get the ticket booked via my VISA only, do you think I would face any problem on the day of the travel; as they have asked to carry the identification which shall be the card itself and which in my case would be the VISA and not credit card. On their site, they have mentioned that passports won't work. This in itself is a mystery to me. Thanks. ger

No, the thing is I know that the VISA card can work as far as the booking goes. But what if they create a problem on the day of my travel saying that you were asked to give credit card and not debit card. This can be a weird query but I have one considering that I am coming there for the first time.

I think you will be OK if the card says VISA on it. I have a VISA debit card and you can elect to either use the cheque, savings or credit facility, so it can be the same as a credit card. But to piggyback on what PalenQ says, you will need to tell your bank that you are going overseas, and give them the dates. This is important not just for this charge, but also for the period you will be away, because if they see you making withdrawals or charging from another country, they will assume it is not you, and block the card. Also make sure you have alternate funding while you are away - what happens if the machine eats your card...?

I used tickets paid for with a card on the Bahn site just last week when I was in Germany.

The ticket you print out at home will have the last four numbers of whatever card you used to pay for the trip printed out at the bottom along with your name.

When the official looks at your ticket simply show that person the card you used to pay for the ticket. It doesn't matter whether it was a debit or a credit card...it is the last four NUMBERS which the official will compare to what is printed at the bottom of the printed out page.

IME German trains in both classes are getting fuller and fuller and couples at least wanting to sit together - especially in 2nd class - should make the optional seat reservations once there - it is my understanding that discounted tickets are train-specific but do not include a seat reservation, which can always be made IME once in Germany - I may be wrong about that but that is what I understand. Perhaps on www.bahn.de there is an option to reserve a seat along with a ticket?

If you do not make a sear reservations at least in 2nd class you may find SRO at times so I would make a seat reservation - again I think separate from reserving a ticket that just lets you board a certain train but does not guarantee a seat and in 2nd class at least and more and more first class trains can always be SRO - on long-distance trains most of the seats may be already booked by others.

And there are seemingly no direct Munich to Paris trains but always involving at least one or more changes of train - thus you need seat reservations for each segment - no one would cover the whole trip.

Indeed on the French part seat reservations are compulsory either on TGVs or Thalys trains and then they should be included in the ticket but the German portion I have a feeling but not sure is optional seat reservations.

I must admit I don;t get the tell your bank business - but I guess it makes sense if you never travel abroad. None of our cards have ever been blocked but we both do substantial business travel and I'm usually abroad at least 5 or 6 times a year; DH more like 3 or 4.

@PalenQ and others: But one thing has come up as I read PalenQ comment and that is that there are standing rooms in European trains? Coz I have booked the ticket from Mun to Paris but I didn't opt for seat reservation. I thought that is there so as to just book seats if one wants to sit together or something. But inspite of that one would get seats. But from PalenQ comment, it seems we might not even get the seat.

A train ticket buys you the right to be on board a train for a certain route but it does nur guarantee you a seat. Most tickets are not train specific so it is impossible to know how many people are on which train.

Recheck your ticket to Paris. On the TGVs in France, unlike German trains, reservations are compulsory.

Yes the second connecting train is TGV. But they have given me the ticket. Now how to confirm whether a seat is reserved or not? You think any of that detail can be on ticket itself? I would not have asked the question if the ticket would not have been in German . If such information is there on ticket, then I would use a translator. Thanks